


Choosing the Fog

by hyxcinthus



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: But I liked how this turned out so, I wrote this as a setting exercise for school, Lani and Moss and Meelo are from a short story I wrote for a class, M/M, Season 5 Spoilers, here it is, most of it is a statement because, setting work on what I think Martin's domain will be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyxcinthus/pseuds/hyxcinthus
Summary: this is just a setting exercise from my class in which I theorize what Martin's domain will be (even though I know I'm wrong because Jonny Sims is the most creative person ever and he probably came up with the most outrageous thing that I would never even begin to think up)there's also some jonmartin content because ofc there is
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Kudos: 3





	Choosing the Fog

**Author's Note:**

> I also explain things I normally wouldn't in a fic because it was for a class so yk the prof has never listened to tma so yeah lmao

The gravel crunched under their feet as they approached the wall of fog. Jon felt Martin’s grip on his hand tighten. Jon knew why. Not  _ Knew  _ knew since he promised Martin he wouldn’t go looking inside his head, but he could guess. He guessed it from the moment he told Martin he even  _ had  _ a domain. It put him in the category of The Watcher instead of The Watched. Martin could no longer distance himself from everything he’d seen. Jon wished he’d never told him, but Martin had a right to know. 

“So,” Martin started, taking a deep breath. “This is it.” 

Jon nodded. “Yeah.” 

“Right…” There was a moment of silence. “Why fog though? I mean, if it’s a combination of the Eye and the Lonely…” 

“The Eye doesn’t have barriers to what it can see through,” Jon replied. “The Lonely’s fog doesn’t hinder its sight.” 

“Oh,” Martin said. “Right.” Another moment of silence. “There’s more, isn’t there, in the fog.” 

“Yes, yes there is.” 

Martin nodded solemnly and looked down at his shoes. 

“Martin,” Jon said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “If you need to take a minute before we go in… I mean, I need to make a statement anyway.” 

Martin nodded again. “Right. I… I think that would be good.” He gave one last squeeze of Jon’s hand and walked off, out of earshot. 

Jon sighed and brought the tape recorder up to his mouth. He felt the air grow static around him as he stopped holding back the knowledge that the Eye was giving him. The tape recorder was already running, of course. Jon Knew it clicked on as they approached the wall of fog. 

With a breath, he began to speak. 

“Through the fog and into another room where the surrounding walls couldn’t be seen. It was wide and long and misty, like the one before it. Wait… was it like the one before it? Lani didn’t know, losing her grip on the memory already. She clutched her arms around her body and tentatively walked forward. There had to be an exit somewhere. She was sure that’s where she’d find Moss. They had to be just through the door. 

“She knew she was alone. She was  _ completely  _ alone. Then what was the oppressive sense weighing her down, like a million eyes were trained on her, watching her every move? Lani stopped in her tracks, looked over her shoulder, then kept going. She could… She could do this. She could get to the other side. Moss was… Moss was waiting for her. Yes. She was sure of it. She had to take care of them. 

“‘How much have you  _ really _ taken care of them though?’ a voice in her head asked. It was an odd voice, a strange voice. It fit uncomfortably in her mind. Lani stumbled, then felt a pang of embarrassment in her chest. She knew the watcher laughed, the watcher judged. She stumbled again and suppressed the tears that were building up in her eyes. They were watching. She was alone and they were watching. 

“But Lani kept going, thinking of little Moss who was waiting beyond the vast, foggy room. ‘They don’t need you anymore,’ the voice said again. ‘They’ve never needed you. When your parents died, what did you do? You went and played your little violin and Moss had to deal with it on their own.’” 

“Lani shook her head vigorously. ‘Shut up,’ she said through gritted teeth. Her voice sounded obscenely loud in the large space. It echoed through the room, despite her best efforts to keep quiet. What would the watcher think of her talking to herself? 

“The voice went dormant, but its words lingered in Lani’s mind. Moss didn’t need her, never did. They had Meelo now. Lani’s feet started to drag across the floor as she walked. She kept checking behind her shoulder, sure she’d see the thing that was watching her, but she never did. She knew she was alone. Utterly and completely alone. 

“Lani tripped and fell to the floor. She laid there for a while before feeling the suffocating stare of the ceaseless watcher on her back again. Shakily, she stood up. Her legs trembled as she took another step. Luckily, they held her weight and she continued on. Lani wiped the tears from her face, heart thrumming in her chest as she wondered what the watcher was thinking. Did it know? Did it know she had no one left to care about her? 

“Finally, Lani reached the other side of the room, exhausted, body still shaking. There were two archways in front of her. One led outside. It was a clear, sunny day. Lani could feel the light breeze on her skin, a welcome relief to the stale, humid air in the vast room she just trekked through. The second archway had a layer of fog obscuring the view of what was beyond. Lani stared at it, reaching out her hand and letting the fog curl around her fingers. She wondered what secrets the archway held. She wanted to know. She  _ needed _ to know. 

“Without looking back at the other exit, without stopping to feel the breeze one last time, Lani stepped through the fog, the memory of the sun already slipping from her mind.

“She found herself in another room where the surrounding walls couldn’t be seen.” 

Jon opened his eyes, he didn’t realize he had closed them, and breathed a sigh of relief. He sat there for a while, staring at the fog. Usually, Martin came back right after he gave the statement, always seeming to know when he’d finished. This time, he assumed Martin ignored the pull, needing to sit for a bit longer before going in. 

Jon understood, of course. Martin didn’t like the idea that something that belonged to him hurt people. No matter how many times Jon told him that it wasn’t something he could’ve controlled, that the Eye manifested this domain without him knowing, he could still see the guilt festering just under Martin’s skin. 

Jon didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, but his legs were stiff when he heard the crunch of footsteps from behind him. Even though Martin’s eyes were trained on the ground, Jon could see the redness in them. He pulled him into a hug. 

“We don’t have to do this, you know. We still have the option to go around.” 

“No,” Martin said, pulling away. He met Jon’s gaze. “I haven’t changed my mind. This… this is just something I have to do.” 

Jon nodded. 

“Right, so, what’s the game plan?” 

“We go in and go out the exit,” Jon replied. 

“That sounds deceptively easy. What’s the hard part?” 

Jon heaved out a breath. “The hard part… is choosing not to stay.” 

“Oh,” Martin said. “Right.” 

Jon bit his lip. “We can do this. As long as we stick together, the Lonely can’t get you and you can keep me in check when I want to go through the wrong archway.” 

“When?” 

Jon nodded. “Yes, Martin, when.” 

Martin blinked. “Okay.” He inhaled deeply. “Okay, let’s go.” 

And so, hand in hand, they walked into the fog. 


End file.
